Soap Box Offering

[Blackfoot]

I am not here to put down people who use this word in the pyracy pub because it is used quite often. I also went to the Ren Faire and the Ren Pirates were all going around and saying this one word WAY too many times. I hear it on pirate music, commercials, and so on. Everytime I hear it, I roll my eyes.

It is the word, "ARRRRRRR." It seems to me today's society has, for whatever reason, linked this word as the only thing in a pirates vocabulary. Drives me crazy! Am I the only one here?

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

I second that. There's always some catchy thing going around at some time or another! If it don't kill ya, it could drive ya nuts! :)

[Patrick Hand]

Well.... yer not going to like this...... but I use Aaaargh all the time.... I figure it works better than some Anglo-Saxon Monosylibuls that I could use...... or Klingon......

[LadyBarbossa]

a pirate speakin' Klingon. Now THAT would be something t' hear!

But, true, Blackfoot. Tis interesting how folks portray piracy. I think MerryD can state she has to restrain me often. Though, last weekend she wasn't able to... and with due reason since a lassy thief stole my Barbossa hat. aye, grabbed MerryD's pistol and took off after the lass and... well, brought her in. Justice? Only Justice for a pirate is their own justice! Ne'er mess with a pirate unless ya want to find justice by th' pistol an' sword. :)

I'm a silent pirate. M' gaze is intimidating enough as well as my stature. So I have been told. I need no words such as "Arrgghh!" to make my point. To make my point... I use th' sword.

~Lady B

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

Hey Mr. hand... YOU are one that can say ARRRRR all you want to! I can't speak for others, but for myself I'm talkin about the general public who over does everything like yada -yada... You know.

But Pyrates are supposed ta say it , so go for it! Everybody else has to wait til "Talk Like a Pyrate Day" in September!

[Captain Bob]

The last time I wore my pyrate garb in public I kept saying "Howdy!" (Mmmmmm... must've been all those years I spent in eastern New Mexico?) ARRRR!! woul'dve been an inprovement.

~~Cap'n Bob

[Patrick Hand]

Ok.... you're walking down the street, and someone yells "Aaaaargh"

You were wearing.....

A. A hawian print shirt, cut-offs and flip flops

B. A business suit

C. Dressed as a Pyrate

I get a lot of drive-by "Aaarghs" when in Pyrate garb, and just yell "Aargh" right back at them... It tends to be a way that the public can kind of "play" along with us.... It's just done in fun.....

I've also had people "aaaargh" at me, after lustly "Aaarghing" back, they want to ask about Pyrates.... so it kinda works as a silly introduction....(and it's much better if they wanna buy you a drink....)

It's just a bit of sillyness, and I'd rather have someone yell "Aaaargh" at me than something else

Besides....... it's kinda fun......

[blackjohn]

We did talk about this before, and I was surprised that some clever fellow was able to pull a period (well, mostly period... 1740s?) quote out of thin air where some navy guy is relating an incident in which he was attacked by a (mutinous?) sailor who charged at him yelling "arrghh."

[kass]

You know, I don't mind people saying, "Arrrgh" as much as I mind people writing in a "pirate accent" (dropping gs and addressing people as "ye" and all that). It just hurts my head to read.

Of course it doesn't sound bad in person...

[PirateQueen]

"Aaaaargh" also seems to be associated with English pirates (or Scots or Irish). My persona isn't English, etc., so you'll never hear me say that.

I also don't like reading "pirate-ese." I don't like having to stumble over interpreting non-standard contractions, nevermind that most people don't consciously write the way they talk, with all the appropriate apostrophes to indicate which letters/sounds they don't use in speech. So I tend to gloss over writing like that.

Eef I were to do zat, I would be writing like zees, n'est-ce pas? Ridicule!

[kass]

Hee hee hee hee hee! Pirate Queen, you crack me up!

[Patrick Hand]

as much as I mind people writing in a "pirate accent"

Dang...... I do that also..... but only in Beyond Pyracy.....

[kass]

Yeah, but you don't do it when not "in character", Pat. Know what I mean? You don't write "Arrrgh, I reckon I'll make meself a new thrum cap. Ye savvy where I can pluder me the right wool? Arrrrrgh!"

[Matty Bottles]

I confess that I both type that way sometimes, and am mostly annoyed that people type that way, simply because it is hard to read, NOT because I don't like the people who type that way or their characters. I am not accusing anyone who has posted of not liking people or their characters, I suspect that everyone merely finds it hard to read. I feel the same way about Mark Twain. Love him, but hate the dialects. The best writer who suggests speech patterns without really using them and sacrificing reability is Elmore Leonard.

How did I get to Elmore Leonard? Anyway, Yes, in the hot tub I both type and like reading that way, but in other arenas the bloom is off of that rose fast, and just gets in the way of the discussion. Not that I have much to contribute to any discussion, but I sure enjoy reading them, yes sir or madam.

[Capn_Enigma]

Well.... yer not going to like this...... but I use Aaaargh all the time....

From the TLAPD home page:

Arrr! - This one is often confused with arrrgh, which is of course the sound you make when you sit on a belaying pin.

[Tora of Tortuga]

From the TLAPD home page:

Arrr! - This one is often confused with arrrgh, which is of course the sound you make when you sit on a belaying pin.

This is sad I now can not get an image out of my head of some poor pirate sitting down at the railings and having a belaying pin being where they thought was just empty railing.

Thanks for the chuckle.

~Tora of Tortuga~

[kass]

...but in other arenas the bloom is off of that rose fast, and just gets in the way of the discussion.

Yeah, I think you just put my thoughts into better words, Jack! I just find dialects difficult to read. And in Twill, we're not being our characters; we're talking about historical pirates and making stuff and all those things that historical pirates wouldn't have wasted time debating.

In a chat room or a thread that's like a chat room, I can definitely understand it there! Still would have difficulty reading it

Did I ever tell the story here about when I was working in NYC and my friend was emailing me in this dialect I spoke in Japan? It's not written, so he was typing what it sounded like in English letter, which meant I kinda had to read it aloud to hear it and understand what he was saying. At the same time a Swiss film crew came around the corner, speaking French. I was trying to sound out this dialect on email and I hear this other language I speak and it felt like my brain was leaking out my ears. I just couldn't understand anything at all for about five minutes!

[Captain Jim]

I slip in and out of character here all of the time. Mind you that while I think that I can write character dialogue fairly well, it is still not always easy to read unless you are familiar with it. And that goes for Bronx, Appalachian or Indian as well as Pyrate. It is meant to convey a feeling, a texture if you will, to the words.

Still….When I was at PiP this year, I was wandering all about Key West in garb and all I heard was: ARRRR! For the first two days it was amusing. For the next two, it was rote. For the last two, it was annoying as hell. Fortunately, some knew how to fix that. They would say something to the effect of: “Arrrr! Can I have my picture taken with the Pyrate? Can I buy you a drink?”

To which I would answer: ARRR!

[Rumba Rue]

Honestly, I was saying Arrrrgh, long before pirates were fashionable. I got in lots of trouble when I started doing the original S. Faire in Agoura, cuz I said it when ever I tripped over something, bumped into things etc., people kept telling me to stop it. To this day I still say it when I screw up stuff or whatever.

[PirateQueen]

Another little peeve of mine is seeing "Avast!" used when obviously "Ahoy!" was meant. "Avast" means "stop," not "hello."

[Silkie McDonough]

For starters I have used arrrrrrgh as long as I have known Charlie Brown. Just something I say.

As to typing in a dialect ...I try to limit it to the times when my persona (Silkie) is speaking. I also find it hard to read when others post it the same way but I like the flavor. Additionally, I change the font to distiguish these from 'normal' conversation. "Aye, tis indeed difficult t'read dis. Ifin dis is too distractin let m'know an I'll either stop er translate!"

Conversation, discussion and narration is all posted in my normal poor spelling and grammar. Americaneese.

Avast, don't use it much but thanks for leting me know the definition before I used it incorrectly.

[Patrick Hand]

I've had a few people do the "avast" bit.... I just look at them kinda confused, and ask them "Now why would ye be wanttin' me ter be stoppin' wot I be doin'..." . they then get confused, and then I explain to them that Avast is stop..... but I do it all in character, so they don't feel that the've been lectured to, and I keep it fun....

As I typed eairlier, most of the events that our group does are parades and Fairs, so light hearted entertainment with the public is all part of it......

Ace and I had an interesting disscussion about something simular, Ace does a realy good Captain Jack Sparribs, and I'm working on a historicaly correct Pyrate, we are aproaching Pyracy from two different perspectives. But at events, we both have fun interreacting with people...

The "aaaarghs" and "avast" and other Pyrate lingo, are all a part of that.

OK, at a hard-core Pyrate reenactment, they wouldn't "fit", but so far, I've never been to one.......

[Gentleman of Fortune]

Pat, you make a great pirate re-enactor. I am always impressed with your wit wisdom, and dedication.

Would like to meet you in person someday.....

Greg aka GOF